Blue Exorcists
by KawaiiChiizu
Summary: Do you crave more romance in the world of Blue Exorcist? I know I do. But you can't have romance without a little plot development, right? This is the continuation of the original Blue Exorcist plot line, with my own personal twists and turns. Enjoy! More episodes to come in the near future!
1. Chapter 1

Episode 1: Continue On

"Rin, your muscles are so huge! Oh my!" Shiemi exhorted, clasping Rin's right bicep in one hand, and running the other down his torso; the perfect shade of blush in her cheeks. She had her school uniform on, with one leg resting on his thigh.

"Oh, you like those, huh?" Rin mumbled.

"Can I poke your stomach muscles?" Shiemi asked.

"Go ahead honey. Do whatever you want."

"Well..." she said shyly, "I would have to be on top of you for that though..."

Rin wondered why she needed to be on top of him, but decided not to complain. "Oh...th..that's ok. Better coverage that way, heh, r...right?"

"Yeah..." Shiemi climbed into Rin's lap so she could be face to face with him and feel his abs from a different angle. "Rin...when we're like this...I just...I..."

"Yeah? What's on your mind...Shiemi?" He trailed off; the glistening girl leaned in closer to him to whisper something in his ear.

"Oh, Rin, you drool so much, it's crazy!"

"Mhm, yeah...wait...AH!" Rin woke up to Kuro hovering over him, poking the puddle of drool on his pillow beneath his cheek. "Kuroooo!" He moaned. "I was having such a sweet dream too...why did you have to wake me up?"

"Sorry Rin. I've just never seen someone drool that much before. What were you dreaming about anyways?" Rin's eyes widened immediately, as they surveyed around his room in the old Cram School Boy's Dorm.

"N...NOTHING. Just...some really good eggs I made for breakfast the other day...and...you know...well-I'm gonna go make some right now! Haha!" He spouted nervously. "Want some?"

"As long as mine are runny!" Kuro exclaimed.

Rin Okumura, finally an exorcist, and trying to find the right girl to spend his free time with. In the cafeteria kitchen, he cracked the eggs open on the side of the frying pan and pondered all the possibilities of being "single and ready to mingle" as Yukio had told him. But a part of him didn't want to be single, or mingle for that matter. This feeling was more forced than anything else, because there was one girl in particular, always filling up his thoughts. However, she never returned the feeling. In fact, he never told her about his feelings in the first place. He stared off into space as the eggs were sizzling away.

"Rin, you'll overcook them!"

A few flips and kicks later, breakfast was served for Rin and his loyal companion, Kuro, and they scarfed everything down right there on the kitchen counter, like always. "I wonder what Yukio's doing right now..." Rin wondered as he took his time finishing the last few bites. These days Yukio was off at Vatican Headquarters taking direction from the current Paladin in how to become a better exorcist all-around. Of course, this was only a 7 day endeavor, and then it was back to the usual, everyday missions. Until his return, Rin was instructed to lay low and "stay the heck out of trouble". A task which he was not good at fulfilling, but one could always hope.

"Rin! You'll be late for your date! What's up with you today? Are you spacing out?"

"Oh, ah...yeah kind of...I just don't know how I feel about going on a date, you know? She doesn't even know I'm a demon!"

"Rin, you'd have to tell her eventually. At least she already knows they exist! Just make sure you're the first one to tell her about yourself!"

"Right!"

And with that, he sprinted up the stairs where he kept all of his nice clothes. Kuro danced in and out of his legs, perfectly in sync with Rin's movements. He stumbled around his room, digging in his closet for what he had in mind. He picked out a pair of black dress slacks, and black loafers, but he couldn't figure out what color shirt to wear. Standing there, shirtless, he spurted, "KURO! What color!?"

"Erm..I heard Yukio say once that pink makes guys look very inviting. Have any pink?" Rin glanced in the closet, to no avail. Then he looked at the floor and saw one crumpled up near the computer desk.

"THERE!"

"But Rin...it's so wrinkly..."

"No problem, I got this!" He quickly cleared a spot on the floor and laid the shirt down. Carefully, he pressed his hands to the shirt, letting a thin layer of flames between his hands and the garment, but making sure the flames never touched it at all - it took nearly all of his concentration. After a few seconds, the whole shirt looked crisp as new. Rin smiled at Kuro, who looked fascinated. "What's wrong, little guy?" He said as he threw the shirt on and started to button it up.

"How'd you do that, Rin?"

"A little trick Shura taught me. I heat my hands up just enough with flames, and as long as I don't touch the shirt, it straightens up!"

"Oh! Cool! You are your own iron!"

"So, how do I look?"

"Great! Now get out of here already!" He came barreling down the stairway, leaning one hand on the railing and jumping into the air to let himself slide down; a trick he always did when he was an unsteady balance of excited and nervous. He got his exorcist key out and went through the front door of the Boy's Dorm and into the town square. He was to meet a girl named "Yuuki," at 11:00 AM, to go shopping and eat lunch together. He knew she liked him because she was a friend of Paku's, and she had told Yuuki all about Rin-especially how he had a lot of money, but a small wardrobe. Yuuki said to meet by the fountain in the middle of town.

Rin nonchalantly walked up to the fountain and looked for a girl with long, brown, wavy hair and bright yellow eyes. He sat down on the ledge of the fountain and waited, glancing at the clock tower. 10:59. "Just one more minute. I'm right on time!" All of the sudden, "*_SMOOCH_*" A girl kissed him right on the cheek.

"HI! Are you Rin Okumura!?"

"Um, yeah., but...HEY! What if I wasn't and you just kissed some random guy on the cheek!? Are you crazy!?"

"No," she giggled, "I just have good instincts, love."

"So...you're Yuuki? It's nice to meet you..." Rin wasn't sure what to make of the initial greeting. She circled around him like a vulture, looking quite intently. Her Pink sun dress was twirling around in the wind as she inspected him, with her thumb and forefinger caressing her chin.

"Wooow, you really are attractive! Much more in person than what Paku said!"

"So, she said I wasn't that good-looking!?"

"No, it's not that! She talked you up just fine honey, don't you worry! So are we gonna get to shopping, or what!?"

"Um...yeah...I guess so."

_"Oh no.." _Rin thought,_ "I'm already being stand-offish. This is not good! Just do what Kuro said: be yourself, and picture that it's Shiemi...Ooohhh CRAP! I'd be even MORE nervous if Yuuki was Shiemi!"_

"Ok, what's your favorite color?" she asked, snapping him from his train of thought, and she grabbed his arm and started walking towards a shop.

"Um..I guess it's blue. Ya know, the most chill color of them all! Just like me!" He was going to try to segue into his blue flames, and being Satan's Son and all.

"Well duh, I know what blue looks like. So are you more of a t-shirt kind of guy, or dressy button-up and sweater vest kind of guy?" All of the vendors in the street square were yelling out prices, and displaying their products, but this was a busy Saturday morning, and Rin didn't even know where to start.

"All of the above?" Rin said, not knowing what answer Yuuki was looking for.

"So in other words, you're going to be hard to shop for?" She let go of his arm and kept heading towards a very colorful shop. The mysterious girl pranced along the street in front of him, seemingly intending for him to stare at her butt. Even so, he started to blush.

"No no no, just pick out things that you think would look nice, and I'll buy them!" Not knowing that Yuuki had no fashion sense whatsoever.

"Wee!" she spun around with her arms held out, "Ok! Well how about we start over here!?" The first vendor looked exactly like where Mephisto buys his get-ups from. She ran over to the store owner and pointed to a kilt that a bagpiper would wear, along with a hooded jacket from the 60's. "Oooo how much for this?"

"6,000 Yen." The clerk said.

"Ok! We'd like a fitting room, please!"

"_WHAAAAT!?" _Rin thought, _"I'll look like a clown!" _But despite his thoughts, he tried it on anyways, to make Yuuki happy. Skittishly, he slipped out of the fitting room, and Yuuki pointed her finger, saying, "Ok, ok, now turn around!" Then she thought a bit more when he got all the way around and said, "Oh my gosh! It's perfect!"

"For what?" Rin pouted, "I look like an old clown..." Yuuki frowned, sighed, and said, "fine...let's move on to another store." Rin figured she wasn't at the first vendor as a joke, but rather as a serious contender for his wardrobe. He got changed back into his street clothes, and at that point he started to worry so much that his appetite was completely lost already.

They were walking around the perimeter of all the vendors for a while when Rin started thinking, "_I don't think this girl is really my type...I wonder if she's thinking the same thing...but how do I ask? Has it even been long enough? I can't take it not knowing what she's thinking! Besides, I bet if I were with Shiemi in this situation, she'd ask me what I think looks cool, and when I tried it on she's be honest...plus I'm sure she wouldn't even like shopping for very long...she's not so superficial like that...but I wonder..." _With his hands in his pockets and his head slouched towards the ground, "Hey, uh" He started to mumble, "What do you think of me so far?" Yuuki stopped right there, and so did Rin, having been following about 4 feet behind her. He didn't realize that was clear body language that he was not interested; he couldn't have been more distant. The girl looked at him curiously, and then for some reason she looked amused.

"HAHAHA! Are you joking!? You seriously are clueless aren't you?" Rin looked at her with disgust and surprise.

"You don't just ask a girl if she likes you...that's a good way to make sure she never does, dummy!"

"I'm not clueless...I just don't like wasting my time, and first impressions are important!"

"Then get lost, buddy. So far, I don't like you. And Paku said you used to like Shiemi so I'm sure you'd rather be with her right now-"

"AHHHH!" A scream came from the rooftop of one of the surrounding buildings. It was a middle class demon that had ahold of a little girl.

"Out of the way!" Rin pushed Yuuki to the side and leapt up to the rooftop. After some surveying, he knew that to defeat a demon like this on his own he would need to tap in to Satan's power, but first he had to make sure no one could see him. By now most people knew he was the son of Satan, but many were still unaware. He was running so fast on the tops of the buildings that gravel flew everywhere, leaving a fog behind him. Just as it was about to swallow the girl, Rin threw a rock from one of the rooftops at the spiky demon, which caught its attention enough to start chasing him. "Good! Just keep on coming!" He led the demon in a zigzag pattern leading away from the town square, and shoved it off of a rooftop and into a back alley where he flashed his blue flames, commanding the demon to let the little girl go, and to not attack any more innocent people. Hesitating, It jumped up onto the building behind it, and leapt from rooftop to rooftop, back towards the crowd, ignoring Rin's pleas. The monster was bright green and had thorns all over it with purple, parasitic juices coming out of each thorn. It had already stabbed the young girl in a few places, leaving possibly fatal wounds on her.

_"If you don't let her go, I'll send you back to Gehenna right now! As the Son of Satan, I command you!" _He revealed his true nature to the beast, and suddenly the enemy stopped and started bubbling and boiling, until it exploded into 10 smaller demons. They cascaded down the sides of the tallest building in the square, busting into the windows and grabbing people; screams were all Rin could hear from below him.

_"I don't have a choice..." _Rin drew his sword and sent a burst of blue flames toward a group of the monsters, taking out 4 of them, meanwhile he thrust himself towards the ground to try and catch the little girl in time. He caught her and told a young man next to him to call for a Doctor Exorcist. The little demons each stole someone from the work building and headed for the alleyways where they would open gates to Gehenna and take their victims, but Rin cornered each one and struck them down one at a time. Exhausted, he saw Yuuki running toward him in a frenzy. People were gathered in the square, so the two were basically alone.

"Rin! What were those blue flames!?" She yelled out loud, and then whispered, "are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me. How is everyone?" he asked, avoiding the flame topic, "Were there any Doctor Exorcists around?"

"Yes, they are working now to fix up the victims."

"Good...O-" Yuuki leapt into his arms and kissed him right on the lips, making him blush, but he pushed her back, and when he looked to his left, he saw Shiemi turning around and walking back to the crowd of victims.

"I'm so glad you're ok, Rin!" He looked back at her, confused. With his voice raised, he told her, "Look...I don't know what card you're playing...but I don't like it. I don't think we should hang out anymore...I'm sorry."

"You Dummy!" Yuuki yelled at him, clenching her eyes shut. "I was really starting to like you!"

At this point, Rin had no idea what to think. He was either going crazy, or girls were a lot more complicated than he thought. Then, he started speaking softer. "Look, Yuuki, you're right. I used to like Shiemi...and I finally started to let those feelings go...but I'm not the average guy. I live my life for my friends and family...it doesn't revolve around any one girl at the moment, and I don't know if it ever will. I'm not sure where my life is headed, so if you're not ready for that, leave me alone." He walked away from her, feeling both victory, and loneliness.

"Rin!...I..."

"It's nothing personal," He told her, and looked back to get in one last comment.

"I just don't have it in me to fawn over some girl with petty desires." At that, he coldly walked away from her only to see Shiemi, who was treating that little girl from before. His legs heaved him forward into a jog.

"Shiemi! Hey!"

"Oh! Rin! How's it going?! This one is doing great!" He ran over to her and the little girl, who was already responsive and conscious.

"That's amazing Shiemi...you know just what to do, huh?"

"I owe it to my mother, really. Hey, who was that girl you were kissing?"

"What? Oh, no one. And she kissed _me_, but I didn't like it...so you know...no big deal."

"You don't like kissing? Weird. I thought maybe you finally got a girlfriend!" In that moment, Rin's heart sank, because this meant Shiemi didn't see herself as ever being a candidate for his girlfriend. He was ultimately friendzoned.

"Oh...haha it's not that I don't like kissing, she just kind of attacked me...ya know? It wasn't a mutual kiss it was more of a forced thing...you know, forced on to me of course."

"Ok," Shiemi responded, a confused look on her face. "Rin, I think we should call an ambulance or two."

"Ok! I'm on it!"

In no time, a few ambulances arrived, and the little girl's parents showed up to see her to the hospital, and by nightfall, Rin and Shiemi had helped everything to be cleaned up and for everyone to be sent home. The two were saying their goodbyes for the night, and turned away from each other to walk their separate ways, when Rin had an epiphany. He thought, "Maybe Yuuki is right...maybe I still have feelings for Shiemi...I mean I'm attracted to her and I admire her so much. Also I'd go on a shopping spree with Shiemi any day...even if she did put me in clown's clothing. She's so special to me..." Rin turned around not knowing his fists were clenched and shouted out, "Shiemi! Wait!" She turned around with a small glimmer of tears in her eyes. Rin was instantly caught off guard, and ran over to her. "Shiemi...what's wrong?" Then, as if she had no clue what he was referring to, she said,

"Oh, nothing. There's something in my eye I think..." Rin knew better.

"No there isn't...something's bothering you." He went to wipe the tear that fell onto her cheek, but she pushed his hand away.

"Rin...it doesn't matter...please...just leave it alone." He started to really notice how closed up she had become. He hated that she kept her walls up around him of all people.

"No! Shiemi...I..care about you a lot...and I can tell when there's something wrong that you need to talk about." He kept his voice calm and paused for a reaction from her, but got nothing. So instead he grabbed her shoulders and swiftly pulled her into a big warm hug, hoping she would break down and tell him what was wrong. But she did not. She was callissed. "How about we start with me walking you home, huh? After the day we've had it would be nice to make sure you get home safely. There are way too many creeps out there... whaddya say?"

"No...I don't want to bother you..." More tears fell from her sparkling eyes. Rin took Shiemi's hands in his and said, "You've never been a bother to me and you never will be!" So, he poked her nose and started skipping along ahead of her while humming an upbeat song. Her expression instantly brightened up and she stopped for a second.

"_I wonder where he gets all that energy..." _She thought as she wiped away her tears and ran towards him to catch up with him.

"Rin...you're not like other guys...you are always trying to make sure I'm happy...why is that?" She asked. He stopped skipping.

"Well...I don't know...I think it's just the type of guy I am. I guess...that's the way my dad raised me...to care for other people." he turned around to face her, "Especially your friends!"

"I thought we weren't friends, huh?" Shiemi said jokingly.

"Oh, shut up! That was like 2 years ago, Shiemi! You know that I love y-" he caught himself before he said it, "...having you as a friend..."

"I know...I value our friendship as well...but sometimes I wish we could know each other better...ya know?"

"Haha...yeah. I feel the same way." He turned toward her and she stiffened up like a board. It was weird because she had stopped tensing up around Rin a long time ago. He stood beside her and put his right arm around her shoulders with his left hand holding her left shoulder, and they started walking together.

"So, what do you want to know? Ask me anything!"

"Really!?" She clapped her hands together under her chin.

"Ok, let's see...ummm...would you ever dance with a girl if she asked you to?"

"Well of course I would. Do you mean to say you're asking me?" Rin was trying not to make it obvious that he really did want to be with Shiemi as more than just a friend. Shiemi blushed at his question, and he let his arms drop so he could look at her more accusingly.

"WELL..UM! NO! I was just wondering!" Rin stepped out in front of her, and hesitated a moment before taking her right hand in his left, holding it up, and putting his right hand on the small of her back. He went slow because he wasn't 100% sure that this was the correct posture for ballroom dancing.

"Because you know...demons are _great_ dancers, _especially_ ones related to Satan." He smiled.

"Oh! You rest your left arm on my right, like this." He showed her what to do to the best of his knowledge, and she smiled back at him, "Ok!" Then he started to hum a slow song and pulled her in close to her, and she did something he didn't expect; she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her left arm around his neck, as they swayed back and forth. So, he wrapped his arm further around her torso, and hovered his tail around them. He ignited it to keep them warm, feeling the goose bumps on her skin against his. She knew what he was doing and she knew he could feel how cold she was. Still, she loved the way he was always thinking of her. They both let their posture fall, and found themselves in a sort of swaying hug, with both of Shiemi's arms around his neck, and both of his arms around her midsection. The atmosphere suddenly got heavy.

"Shiemi..."

"Hm?" Rin kissed the top of her head, and felt her heart beat faster as she looked up hopefully at him. His hearing was much more attuned after training his senses during the winter.

"I...I just...really admire you Shiemi...and I don't ever want to lose you...that's all..." He said with a flushed face.

"Oh" she sounded disappointed.

"You know...the real reason I was upset earlier was because I don't want to see you get hurt by some floozy girl like her...and it made me think of you and Yukio being all alone...without very many friends...without any family..."

Rin interrupted, "Shiemi, our friends are our family, and just because some of them moved away, doesn't mean they are lost forever. Just temporarily not with us. Besides, Yukio and I adore you Shiemi...so as long as you are here...everything is great!" He stopped the smooth swaying and stylishly dipped her, kissing her cheek. He wanted her to feel special...and to hear her heart race. Sure enough, it was racing out of control and he figured her face was bright red. He said in her ear, "I like the way we are, Shiemi. Just like this." He swooped her back up to the classical posture and put his right hand up in the air above her head.

"Oh! That's my queue to spin, right?!"

"Hehe, yes! Silly girl!" He spun her around and then spun her out away from him, holding on to her right hand, and then he whipped her back in through a flurry of spins so that she was curled up in his arm, facing away from him. It was a classic move that Izumo taught him a while back. Just then, he realized he was going way overboard and she probably thought he was being super cheesy, so he jumped back and scratched the back of his head while he laughed like a dork. "Haha, well anyways let's get you home, huh?" They continued to talk as they walked in the darkness, with Rin's tail held above their heads, lit up with blue flames to light the way.

They approached the shop where Shiemi and her mother lived, "Ok, well here we are!" Rin blurted out to kill the recent silence during their walk.

"Thank you very much for walking me home, Rin! It was fun! We should talk some more in the future, ok?"

"Uh..yeah! I'd love that! You got it!" A huge smile was plastered on his face; it was so big his eyes shut.

"See you later, Shiemi!" He said, and she closed the door. He turned around to go back onto the bridge and walked back to the boy's dorms. He couldn't help but think about that last 20 minutes of their walk, when their hands kept touching by accident, and made them both blush. He wondered if she had the same feeling. The one that left him wanting more. The feeling that made him want to grab her hand and squeeze it tightly, as if to say, "she is mine, and I am hers." He decided not to dwell on it too long, and ran the rest of the way home.

When he got to the front door to the dormitory, he burst through and shouted, "Kuroooo!" and the little black cat came running toward him.

"Rin! What took you so long! I almost went out and started looking for you!"

"Oh, sorry, there was a break-in at the town square: a middle class demon started attacking people, and I ran into Shiemi, so I walked her home."

"Why didn't you just use your exorcist key?"

"Well, they blocked all other doors except a few of them, and the nearest was the one leading to this building, so i unlocked it and luckily it opened up to the bridge leading to her house!"

"Soooo, you were just going to keep her here if that didn't work, huh!? You sly dog!"

"N-NO! I mean...she would have stayed in a different part of the building or something!"

"But what if she ran into something dangerous there?"

"OH SHUT UP! IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. I just wanted to get her home safely...and maybe we did have fun talking to each other so we took our time walking..." Rin had the guiltiest look on his face, but Kuro found it incredibly amusing so he started cracking up at Rin's frustration.

"Hey...whatever...I'm going to bed, alright? See you in the morning..." He started walking up the stairs to his lonely, dark room.

"Oh, stop it Rin! You know you're my best friend! I'm coming too!" And they snuggled into bed for the night.

Back at the Moriyama residence, Shiemi walked past her mother's room to see her sleeping soundly, and she headed for the kitchen to pour herself a glass of Almond Milk. She sat down at the kitchen table, sipped her milk, and thought about her walk with Rin; how much it meant to her. However, she was so tired she figured she could dwell on it some other time. She put her glass in the sink and started to try to go up the stairs to her new bedroom that was built during the spring, but she was so fatigued she had to stop and catch her breath after every couple steps. _"Why am I so tired...? Come to think it, I had to sit down just to drink a glass of milk...I wonder what's wrong with me..." _She thought, as she struggled to climb those last few steps, and fell to the floor, sleeping on the cold, hard wood.

**What ails Ms. Moriyama?**

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

Episode 2: Dilemma.

"_Serpent Fang!"_

Ms. Kirigakure and her student, Rin Okumura, were sparring during their weekly Friday morning session.

"Hey! Are you going easy on me, Shura?"

"_Hah!_ You've still got a lot to learn about me, little duckling!"

"Little duckling!? I'm pretty sure a little duckling couldn't do this!"

He raised his sword above his head and yelled, "_Kiss of Death!" _Then a spray of 5, lethal, fiery currents spewed out of Kurikara, and his mentor _barely_ escaped their wrath. Winded, she told him, "Wow...maybe I _have_ been underestimating you...or training you too well. You're not supposed to even be able to get _near_ me with those flames yet!"

"Hah, well I guess I win the '_most improved_' award, right?"

"Yeah we'll see. Don't push it. *_Hyah!_*"

She lunged forward, but disappeared, and came from behind her student, cutting him deep enough in the back with her sword, to knock him onto his hands and knees. This type of training was common with the two of them. The Vatican representatives and the True Cross Knights all felt it was necessary to train the young son of Satan as if he were in a real life-or-death situation. Shura thought back to that meeting with her colleagues and superiors. The eldest representative spoke, "_We must be able to assess whether or not this young man is capable of controlling his demonic powers in the toughest of physical and emotional situations. Ms. Kirigakure...if you truly wish to spare this boy's life...you are to train him such that he may learn to control his emotions, and thus, his power, in any situation. If you fail, and he harms even one innocent person...plans for his execution shall resume." _

Getting back to reality, she jumped onto her hands in front of him, with her right hand landing on the sheath of his sword so she could snatch it. It was over; she had won. And even with her obvious victory, she decided to re-instill a humble feeling in him. She lunged at him, double-wielded, with the swords crossed and held up to his neck.

"_STAND UP!" _She shouted, and he tried, but she had cut him a bit deeper than she realized. He gave it a good effort, but after getting up to one leg, he fell back down again, slamming his face on the cold, concrete floor of the training room, right at the feet of his instructor. He coughed up a handful of blood, and winced at the pain, but Shura wouldn't let his weakness pass.

"_I SAID GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP. ARE YA DEAF?! Psh...You can't protect anyone you love like this! YOU'RE WEAK!_"

She was feeling particularly brutal today, so she decided to run his own sword through his outstretched hand, at which point he exploded with blue flames, and grabbed his teacher by the neck, slamming her against the far wall of the empty room. He was out of control; snarling, eyes quivering, teeth bore and drooling. Not to mention he was getting blood all over Shura's neck from his hand. His breathing was so heavy mixed in with the raging snarls, that he could hardly hear her say, "Rin...calm down. We're done." And she recited the chant to activate the paper ring around his tail, stunting his powers for the moment and jolting a high voltage of electricity through his body, almost acting as a tranquilizer. Having passed out in her arms, she carried him like a potato sack to the infirmary.

Yukio was getting ready to pack his things up so he could come home from his few months of training, when Shura called him. On the phone, she had told him, "Yeah, he's been getting smarter...with books and chants. But in terms of his control over Satan's power...progress has been slow. At this rate...when he actually _does_ find himself in a life threatening situation...God only knows what might happen..."

"I'll be home soon...maybe my absence has set him off a little bit..." Yukio expressed.

"It doesn't matter, Yukio. Your absence, Shiemi getting hurt, his dad being insulted; if any of those types of things faze him at all, that's not acceptable. You were there at that meeting...they made their intentions very clear."

"Well…either way, I miss him. So I'll stop by and hopefully he'll wake up by then."

"Ok, see you later." She hung up, and stepped out of Rin's room to chug the rest of her beer. A few minutes later she heard a groan from inside the room, and went in to see what the noise was about. Rin was already waking up.

"Hey, bud. How are you feeling?" She asked him, but he only looked at her with sad eyes.

"I did it again...didn't I..."

"Yep, you pretty much blew it."

"Well...you don't have to be so blunt!"

"How else do you expect me to act!? I promised your idiot father that I'd look after you! So I'm trying my best to fulfill his wishes! I want you to succeed, so I won't go easy on you! _Get over it!_"

Rin looked away from her hard stare, and he knew she was right. She sighed, "So, did you have plans tonight or anything?"

"Yeah, actually, I was supposed to help Shiemi study for her final exams. She's worried she won't graduate in time with everyone else in her class, but I know she will...her grades are great, so there's no way she won't be -. " Shura cut him off.

"Go study with her. Yukio was going to stop by and see you later. I'll tell him you were feeling better and left. You feel fine by now, right? It's been an hour or so."

"Well yeah, I feel pretty good! Thanks Ms. Kirigakure! And tell Yukio...I miss him."

"Hmm...will do." She smiled as Rin ran out of the room to meet up with his study partner.

After a few minutes, she decided to go clean up the training room since all the furniture had been punched and kicked to pieces. As she knelt down to pick up the parts of a smashed chair, there was a jolt of pain that went across her neck. It threw her balance off enough that she had to lean up against the wall to catch herself.

"Seriously?" she said to herself, "did he really affect me that much? ... Damn. He's getting too strong...but maybe that's a good thing. If his will power becomes strong like his muscles are, then we'll be on the right track."

She felt her neck where the pain was, but even touching it made the muscles in her neck hurt badly enough to make her squeeze her eyes shut and scrunch her nose up. So, she went to the bathroom to look at the damage and the entirety of her neck was black, blue, and red. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, and she didn't understand why it was just _now_ hurting. Something was strange about it, but since technically she was an '_innocent person_,' she knew she couldn't let anyone in the Vatican find out. They might decide that even though she was doing her best to train him, he should still be executed. It seemed like they were looking for any and every reason to believe he was a threat to humanity. Although in the end, she was no one to judge their way of thinking. After all, before she got to know Rin, she considered him damaged goods that were not salvageable.

Confused, and conflicted, she returned to the training area to finish what she started, and found a burnt piece of paper on the floor where his flames first exploded out of him.

"Is this a piece of my enchanting paper from his tail...? What's going on with this kid...that paper shouldn't be flammable even with _Satan's_ flames…"

**_*Meanwhile…*_**

"I've got to get down stairs for my study session with Rin...I don't want him to know I'm not feeling well..." Shiemi stared at the ceiling intently, thinking, "_Be strong, legs. Work for me today."_ And she sat up, throwing the covers off of her. With her feet dangling off of her bed, she took a deep breath in and when she started to exhale, she stood up, staggered one or two steps, and then caught her balance. Excited to be walking with little difficulty, she slowly made her way down the stairs and thought about when her mom left 5 days ago. She said, "Shiemi, I am not going to leave you all by yourself at a time like this! Your health is not good!"

"Mom, I will be fine! I will not let your week at the Rain festival be ruined just because I have an iron deficiency or something like that!"

"But darling, you don't even know if that's the problem. You could be possessed, or dying, or who knows what else! As your mother, my mind will not be put to ease until my baby is feeling better!"

"But people at that festival are counting on you to bring your special herbs...the ones that no one else grows in our area! You need to go!"

"Fine...but I will call to check in on you very often, and I expect you to answer! I will be gone for 5 days in total...so please get lots of rest and eat healthy foods...ok?"

"Okaaay, mother, I will. Don't worry about me...please!"

"Well, I'll see you later..." Then she stepped out after giving Shiemi a big, long hug.

What Shiemi wasn't aware of, was that on her mother's way to the festival, she called Yukio to ask a favor of him. He was in the middle of his final assessment with the Paladin, when he heard his cell phone ring. Seeing that it was Shiemi's mother, he knew he'd better answer. "I'm so sorry...I need to take this. It could be an emergency." He told the Paladin, who nodded. Yukio stepped out of the chapel and answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's Mrs. Moriyama. Do you have a minute?"

"Yes, is everything ok?" He asked her, with concern in his voice.

"No. I will be out of town for a while, and I know you are coming home in a couple of days. Shiemi has not been healthy lately; half of the time her legs won't work, and neither will the rest of her body. The other half of the time, she looks and feels fine. I'm not sure what could be causing this, and as I do trust Rin to watch out for her, you have always been more mature and quick-witted...so please...look out for her while I am gone. You have my permission to stop by as much as you like and to keep her company. Please keep her safe, and look in to what may be ailing her if it might be supernatural." There was a long pause as Yukio was soaking in all of this information. He swallowed hard and answered, "Of course, Mrs. Moriyama. I will keep a good watch over her. You can count on me. And I will do some extensive research into what could be causing her condition. Thank you for confiding in me...as you may know I care about Shiemi very much...and her well-being is something of a top priority of mine."

"I know, Yukio. I really appreciate it."

"So how long is '_a while'_?"

"Haha...five days, but possibly more. I should be back on Saturday morning. I know that Rin is coming over to help her study for her final exams next week. However, I _am _still a tiny bit weary of him..."

"I understand. Well, I'll see you when you get back! Have fun, wherever you're going."

"Thanks Yukio. Bye."

"Bye"

When Yukio returned to Mr. Raiu, the Paladin, his assessment finished, and Yukio felt it was a good time to inquire about something.

"Mr. Raiu...I have something to ask, if I may."

"Of course, Yukio."

"That call…was about a girl back at home that I care for very deeply. She has come down with an unusual sickness, and I don't have any clue what it might be..."

"Well, spit it out, what's the question?"

Yukio hesitated, for fear of sounding like an idiot. He wasn't sure if this was something he should know or not.

"What would cause a person to become very ill, losing the ability to walk from time to time, but being healthy at other times?"

"I assume this is a girl?"

"Yes."

"Since you know her, let me ask _you_ something: are you in love with her?"

Yukio's eyes widened as he looked up at the Paladin.

"Um…no. I mean...sometimes I wish we could be more than friends, but...I don't think I'm _in love_ with her."

"If that is your honest answer, then someone else _is_ in love with her. Find out whom. Her body is being attacked by a Witch."

***_Back to present time…*_**

Shiemi had made her way down the stairs, and started walking over to the kitchen table, holding onto the walls and various other objects on her way there. She had become pretty used to this method of mobility. It seemed like ever since the day that Rin walked her home about a month ago, she had so much trouble staying healthy. In fact the reason she had to have Rin help her study was because she had missed so much school due to her health. However, lately it had gotten worse. She told everyone at school that her absence was due to an increase in customers at the shop. She figured it had something to do with the miasma from the demon Rin had fought in the town square that day. Or maybe that pretty girl's kiss spread some kind of poison to him, which he then spread to her through touch. "_Whatever. I just want to be well again..."_ she thought, and sat at the table, staring back and forth between a pile of school books, and the pink clock on the wall across from her. "Five o' clock...that's when Rin and I are supposed to study...*sigh* it's only noon! What am I supposed to do until then!?"

She thought about some low energy things she could do, and decided to go work in her garden for the time being.

Meanwhile, Rin was walking to the dorm to grab some study materials that he thought might benefit Shiemi. He planned on running all the way home, until he saw a clock on the wall that read, "_2:15 PM" _at which point he started to walk.

"_Well, I guess I have time, I can just walk. I'm still pretty tired anyways_."He thought_. "I wonder what happened today...the last thing I remember was Sensei calling me weak and then stabbing my hand. After that it's a blur..." _He started walking slower, and grabbed his sword. He took it out of the red cover he kept it in, and held it up like he was going to unsheathe it, but instead he just stared down at it in his hands.

"_If I can't get myself under control...I'll be killed. And we can't have that, now, can we?"_

He was feeling encouraged by his thoughts, and unsheathed his sword, but didn't let his flames come out at all. Then he put it back, and burst out in flames. It was an exercise for control that Shura taught him for when he was bored. It was so amusing to him for some reason, that he did it all the way home.

Rin approached the dorms around 3 o' clock, and went upstairs to his room. Kuro was lying on his bed waiting for him.

"_Rin! How was your training session with Shura?"_

_"Awful..." _He thought back to Kuro, and sat down next to him. Then, he heard the front door to the dormitory open and instantly, he went into defensive mode. Kuro ran down the stairs to investigate.

"_Yukio's home! Yukio's home!" _Rin could hear Kuro say in the distance. He ran down the stairs to greet his brother.

"Hey, I heard you had a rough time today, big bro!" Yukio said.

"Hah, yeah…a little bit. Let me guess, Shura told you?"

"Yep. I stopped by the infirmary to see you, but she said you left already."

"Oh, you did? Sorry you wasted a trip on tha-… " He fell to his knees; his vision got blurry, and he couldn't breathe very well. "Wh...What's going on...Yukio..."

"Brother...I learned a new technique while I was away...it's best if you don't try to fight it...I know you still have that seal on your tail that Shura put there..." Yukio was speaking with conviction, but also something else. To Rin it sounded like hesitation. Maybe even regret or guilt. Like someone was forcing him to do this.

"_AAHHHHH" _Rin bellowed out, holding his stomach.

"_Yukio! What are you doing to Rin!" _Kuro shouted in his head.

"I think of a chant in my head, and as long as my will is strong enough, it affects you, demon."

"_YUKIO! STOP! PLEASE!" _Rin shouted out.

"You feel like throwing up, right? You feel like your head is going to explode? That's Satan's power trying to reject the chant. It works like an exorcism, only it is channeled through that script around your tail. Painful...isn't it..."

Rin's whole body was shaking, as he broke out in a sweat. This was a different kind of pain; a paralyzing pain. His brother stood a few feet away from him; unmoving and cold. But Rin thought about what Shura told him earlier in their training session. He had to stay focused and stay strong. He clenched his fists and stood up, blue flames swirling around him.

"Yukio, I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but it's bullshit!" The flames dissipated, and Yukio thought it was strange that Rin was even standing up.

"I guess you really _have_ gotten stronger then, huh, Rin...?"

"Don't give me that..." Rin kept his head held low, wanting to know why his younger brother was doing this. Was it to prove a point?

"If you're testing my strength, this just shows you that you're right. I've improved. But I'm still pretty far from where I need to be. All I can say is I'm lucky to have Shura as a mentor...without her...I would be dead by now."

"Hah. I'm glad you said that. In the end...that's what I wanted to hear."

"Huh!?" Rin was surprised, but not overly. He sort of suspected this. But despite the pain Yukio just put him through, and despite Yukio's mixed feelings towards his brother, they found themselves in a welcoming hug. After all, it had been 3 months since they had seen each other. They sat alone in the cafeteria and talked about the things that happened while the other was away.

"Well, it would be nice to stay and chat with you some more, Yukio, but I promised Shiemi I would study with her at 5 and it's already 4:30. I have to get going!"

"Alright...have fun!"

**_*30 minutes later…*_**

Rin walked up to the door to Shiemi's house and held up his hand to knock, but he hesitated. _"I hope she's not sleeping or something…or what if she is in the middle of a deal with a customer since the shop has been so busy…oh well. We agreed on 5 o'clock, so I hope she's ready!"_ He thought, and knocked a few times. After not hearing an answer, or the rustling around of anyone, he decided to go around to the garden gate to see if she was working there. He peered through the steel rods of the gate and saw her in the far corner, lying on the ground.

"_Shiemi!" _

She didn't budge, so he grabbed the bars of the anti-demon door, but was shocked instantly. He tried to think of another way around, but instead of wasting time he decided to just tough it out. He grabbed onto the bars, burning his hands, and forced the gate open; he could tell Shiemi's mom had reinforced the gate since he broke it the last time. The pain from the burning was so extreme, he screamed, and when he got through, he ran over to Shiemi. He tried shaking her shoulders to wake her up, saying her name over and over. Finally, she fluttered her eyes open, but to her, it felt like her eyelids weighed 5 pounds each.

"Shiemi! I thought you were dead!" he fell into a hug, sobbing like a baby.

The truth was that she passed out after getting lightheaded while setting a pot on the ground, but she wouldn't dare tell Rin, from fear that he might realize how weak she had become. She was so ashamed that despite all her efforts to eat the right foods and herbs, and to get adequate amounts of rest, her health was still declining. The last thing she wanted was for him to worry about her.

"Oh, stop it, Rin! I'm fine! I just fell asleep! Let's get inside so we can start studying, ok?" She tried to lift his convulsively crying body off of her.

"...Ok." Rin's voice shook from making such a big deal.

She tried to think of how she was going to make it inside on her own after the fall she had. She must have hit her head pretty hard because her head was pounding.

"_That's it!"_ she thought. "_I'll tell him my head hurts so bad that I need his help."_

Rin helped her up, and she stumbled.

"What's wrong, Shiemi?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm just a little dizzy. My head is killing me...I must have slept too long or something. Can I hold onto you until we get inside?"

"How about I just carry you, huh?" he smiled at her, and as much as she wanted to be strong and walk on her own, her head really _was_ killing her, and she knew it would only get worse if she struggled to get inside. Plus she wouldn't be able to focus on her studies.

"Hm...Ok then." she agreed, and he put one arm behind her back, with the other behind her knees, and then swept her up in his arms.

"Hang onto me, ok?"

She looked up at him, smiled, and nodded.

"Are you sure you don't want to lay down for a while before we study for your exams?"

"_I'm sure!"_ She blurted out as he carried her through the maze of flowers and plants.

"Ok, if you say so."

Rin carried her inside and set her down at the kitchen table where all of her books were already stacked up. He boiled her a mug of water and added an herbal mixture that he found in the cupboard. He thought about the names listed on the canister and figured they would be a useful concoction for pain relief. Then he popped a piece of bread into the toaster and when it was done, he spread some cinnamon butter on top.

"Here you go. This should help you feel better."

"Oh, thank you, Rin!"

"So how's business at the shop?" He sat down next to her. "You haven't been at school too much lately so I assume it's still pretty busy, right?"

_"Good. He still doesn't know about my condition." _She thought.

"Yeah, my mom has me working a lot to help out. We have exorcists coming from all over now! It's because of our extensive range of herbs and such...you know how it is."

That wasn't completely a lie, since the shop _was_ getting a lot busier. However, her mom would never make her help with the transactions if she didn't feel well enough. She also wouldn't ask her to miss school in order to help the shop.

"Absolutely. Well it's too bad you have to spend so much time here. Everyone in class really misses you!"

Even after graduating Cram School, students typically continued their education so that they could move up in the ranks. It was called Exorcist School, and Rin and Shiemi were in Level 2.

"That's good to hear...I just hope I can pass these exams..."

"Well hey, let's get started! What subject do you want to study first? Aria, Tamer, Dragoon, Doctor, or Knight?"

"I struggle the most with Aria...so I guess we should start with that one."

They studied the books for about an hour before Rin noticed something strange going on with Shiemi.

"Hey...are you sure you're ok? You've seemed out of it this whole time...are you sure you were just sleeping out there? Why were you sleeping in your garden anyways?"

She had her chin in the palm of her hands, with her eyes drooping from exhaustion. She yawned and tiredly stated, "I just got so tired while I was out there, being in the sun and all. It felt good on my skin but it made me tired, so I just fell asleep while I was staring up at the sky. Like I said, I think I slept too long, and it's hard to wake up after that." It was an excuse she gave her mother when she first started blacking out in her garden.

"Hmm…ok. But I still think we should take a break or something. I'm worried about you, Shiemi, and we have two more days to study for exams. I'd rather you feel good and retain the information, rather than study yourself to death and not remember any of it on Monday."

"I guess you're right. I'm sorry you came over for nothing though..."

"Hey, it wasn't for nothing. I enjoy spending time with you regardless, so I've had fun! Oh! Is your headache gone yet?"

"It feels much better thanks to your tea!"

She was lying through her teeth. That last hour was grueling. Her head was throbbing so hard she could hardly even understand what Rin was saying the whole time. She was so tired and hungry that she was just looking forward to when it would all be over with. The only thing keeping her going was watching Rin. He looked so hopeful, and happy to be helping her study. Rin started closing up all the books and collecting the papers on the table into a folder.

"Oh, you might want to bring your _'Every Chant for Arias' _book down here so we can study that one tomorrow too."

"Okay. I'll get it right now."

"_I've got to show him I'm ok..."_ she thought.

She wanted to prove to him that she could operate on her own and that she felt well enough for him not to worry too much. So, she got up from the table and went towards the stairs. There was a small, side-table between the kitchen table and the stairs that she would typically lean on, but she hesitated, and used all of her energy to get to the stairs without using the table. When she got to the steps, each one exasperated her more and more; it took so much energy to go up the stairs normally. When she finally got up to her bedroom, she let out a huge breath and leaned up against the wall that all of her coats hung on. She fell to her knees and started coughing. "_oh no..._" she thought.

"Hey Shiemi, are you alright up there?" Rin yelled up to her.

"Y..yes - _cough_ - I'm fine! - _cough cough _-"

"Doesn't sound like it..." he said a bit quieter.

Shiemi pulled herself back up, tugging on the coats, but it didn't last. She collapsed onto the floor, taking all the coats with her, and this time she let out a little yelp by accident. Then, after fighting to stay conscious for the past hour and a half, she finally slipped into a dreamland.

Rin stumbled up the stairs as fast as he could when he heard the commotion.

"Shiemi! What happened!?" He yelled, and found her under a heap of coats. Frantically, he threw all of them aside. Immediately, he could feel the heat rolling off of her body, so he got all the hair out of her face, and put his hand to her forehead. She was burning up, so he picked her up and put her on her bed, which sat against two walls: one against the top, and the other against the right side of the bed.

Rin thought about the first thing to do in this situation and figured it would be best to cool her down. Downstairs in the kitchen, he dampened a towel with cold water, and when he opened the freezer, he found one soft freezer packet that he wrapped in a cotton towel. He ran back upstairs, put the packet on her forehead, and started dabbing her skin with the wet towel.

"_She lied..._" He thought. "_She wasn't sleeping in her garden. She passed out. I wonder what excuse she'll give me this time. She must think I'm naïve. The fatigue, missing school, losing a few pounds…she's sick...very sick." _The air got heavy as the reality of this sank in. However, he wasn't mad. Mostly, he wanted her to feel better. If anything, he thought it was cute that she wanted to hide something that wasn't even her fault. She didn't want people knowing she wasn't healthy. Whatever was wrong with her needed attention, and fast.

Rin had to wet the towel again before she finally started waking up. Her eyes were opening just a tiny bit; enough to see someone hovering over her saying something inaudible.

"_Who is this person...and what are they saying? Everything is so blurry...Rin…I wish you were here..."_

She didn't realize she said Rin out loud, and Rin thought she was waking up.

"Shiemi...can you hear me? I'm right here. How are you feeling?"

She didn't respond to him this time, but he knew she was at least conscious. All the sudden, she rolled over and held her gurgling stomach. "Rin...I'm hungry...so hungry..." she mumbled, huddled in the fetal position.

"Ok, what would you like to eat?"

Shiemi opened her eyes.

"What? Oh! Rin!"

At that moment they both realized she had been mostly unconscious and had no recollection of her statements. Rin knelt down so he could smooth her hair back out of her face, and spoke to her softly.

"You said you were hungry...was that true?"

"Oh...yes…I suppose so."

"Ok. I'll make you something. Just don't go anywhere, ok?" He said gently, and kissed her forehead.

There it was; that feeling in her stomach. It wasn't the hunger, but rather a nest full of butterflies, electric ones, that always sent chills up her spine. Whenever Rin showed his sweet, tender side, those butterflies made their way back into her system. She rolled over onto her back, and rested her forearm on her forehead.

"_*sigh* Why does he do this to me...it's not fair..." _Then, with a hot, pink face, she closed her eyes and lost her consciousness once again.

_"Black..darkness. Alone...I'm alone. Pain...why won't it go away... I'm falling! There's nothing to hold onto here...why won't it stop?!" _

_"STOP!" _She yelled out, so loud it woke her up and sprung her body into an upright position. She couldn't seem to catch her breath after that.

"Hey, shhh. It's ok."

Rin set two bowls of food and two glasses of water down on the desk beside her bed, and turned the lamp light on. He sat down on the bed next to her and held onto her hand, "You were dreaming. Pretty intense too, I wasn't sure if I should wake you up or not…but dinner's ready!"

"Oh...ok...thank you." she was lost in a stare towards the wall in front of her.

Rin noticed the dribble of tears that almost fell from her eyes, but didn't say anything. Instead, he just helped her sit back onto her pillows so she could eat.

"I made rice noodles with veggies. Eat up!"

He handed her the bowl of rice and she took a big whiff of the meal and sighed with relief; it smelled absolutely delicious.

"Mmm! Thanks for the meal!"

Rin was stuffing his face since he hadn't eaten anything all day up until then. Shiemi, on the other hand, was taking her time. She knew it was a guessing game with food those days, and whether or not she would be able to keep it down. That's why she made a point to eat slowly; no point in eating all of it and then having to throw it all back up later. After about 4 bites, she set her bowl back down.

"Hm? That's all you're eating?" Rin asked.

"Yes. I'm full…"

"But you only ate a few bites."

"It's fine, Rin. Don't worry about it."

"Too late. Are you sure you don't want any more?" He grabbed her bowl, and she laughed.

"Yes, I'm sure. Go ahead."

Rin ate the rest of her portion and she lied down, with her right hand resting on the pillow by her head. She closed her eyes, and felt a hand ease onto her cheek; his fingers laced through the hair around her face; his ring and pinky fingers positioned under her ear, on her neck.

"_So warm…" _She thought as her heart fluttered.

He slid his hand further back, through her silky hair; her face glowing in the soft lamp light.

"_She's so beautiful…I just want to…" _he leaned in close to her from the chair he was sitting in, but all the sudden, she curled up, holding her stomach.

"Nooo..." she groaned.

"Hey…what's wrong?"

"Bathroom…help me get to the bathroom…"

So, he reached his left arm under and around her back to lift her up, and put her right arm around and behind his neck. He held onto her hand and supported her all the way to the bathroom connected to her room, where she slumped down over the toilet, hanging onto either side of the seat. Immediately, she started spewing chunks into the lavatory, and Rin poured a cup of water for her in advance, setting it on the edge of the counter. Being the supporter that he was, he sat down behind her, with one leg bent on each side of her. With his left hand, he pulled her hair back, and had his other arm wrapped around her upper torso. All he could do while she was dumping all of her food from the day into the toilet was rest his lips on her shoulder, hold her tightly, and wait it out.

When the storm seemed to calm down, he grabbed the cup of water from the edge of the counter with his left hand and leaned her back onto him so he could tilt her head back and give her a drink. He wasn't sure if she was just exhausted, or passed out, but at least she drank something. After a few gulps, she reached up and grabbed his hand that was holding the glass. It tasted so good to her, but he figured that was his signal that she had had enough. He put the glass back onto the counter and carried her limp frame back to her bed, and brought another wet towel to clean her face with. This time upon feeling her forehead, it felt colder than normal, so he covered her up underneath two layers of blankets and stepped out of the room. Downstairs, he grabbed his cell phone out of his bag and dialed the number for Shiemi's mom. It rang a few times until she finally answered.

"Yes, Rin?"

Caught off guard, he said, "Oh, hi. Sorry for calling so late, but I need to ask if I can spend the night at your house tonight."

"What? Why on earth would that be necessary?"

"Well…Shiemi isn't feeling well. I suspect you already know this since I'm guessing she hasn't missed school because of the shop. Anyways, we hardly got any studying done until she couldn't do it anymore. She had to go lie down and I made us some dinner, but after a few bites she was full and after that she threw everything back up. I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone tonight, but I know you will be home in the morning. I'll leave as soon as you get here."

"I appreciate it Rin. No offense, but I would rather have Yukio stay with her. Please call him."

"What?" Rin was most definitely offended. "Look, I know you don't like me, but I've been taking care of her all night, and even though I have demon blood in me, that does not mean I'm a terrible person. You don't need to worry. I promise you. If anything bad happens to your daughter, you can report it to the Vatican, and they'll execute me. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes. I'll see you in the morning. Goodbye."

_*Click* _She hung up the phone. Although Rin didn't appreciate this conversation, he was happy with the outcome. He was confident in his abilities to protect this girl by now. He went upstairs and cuddled up to her beneath the covers, surrounding them in a soft blanket of blue flames. Shiemi's breathing went from being quick and labored, to being slow and easy. He reached over and turned the light out, keeping his flames going and staying awake for her…all night long.


End file.
